My Trek Through Brazil

In other news, I had a summer vacation! And it has been one of the most memorable thus far!

If you'd asked me a year ago where I'd go, if I could visit any place in the world, I would have said South Africa and Rio de Janeiro without hesitation. Well, I took care of South Africa back in May (future post to come, *toot toot*). And rather than just visiting Rio de Janeiro, I decided to trek through a few locales in Brazil. Hey, might as well make good use of this $160visa, right?

The run down:

I purchased my ticket, at an incredible discount by the way, back in March for a June departure. June, while still very warm, is considered Fall in Brazil. I paid a lot less for everything by traveling outside of peak season.

U.S. citizens must pay a $160 reciprocity fee to enter Brazil. The fee gets you a visa good for multiple entries for up to ten years, if approved. Always check to see if you need a visa for travel. In Atlanta, it only took 3 business days for me to receive mine back thru Priority Mail. You must enter the country within 90 days of visa issue, so timing is imperative.

I saved hundreds of dollars booking all of my lodging through Airbnb. This is an amazing gem I discovered last year while planning my South Africa trip. It is the absolute best way to lodge abroad in my opinion, and I am totally a fan.

After thorough research, I settled on three locales for my twelve day trip: 5 days in Rio-for the fun, 2 days in Iguaçu Falls-for the nature, and 5 days in Salvador de Bahia-for the rich, Afro Brazilian culture. Domestic airfare between the cities was super economical, via GOL Airlines

Did I mention I went solo? :-)

Check it out:

Sights and scenes:

Above are some of the attractions I made a priority, Brazil is magnificent and has no shortage of scenery. I selected the cities I visited based on the best opportunities to absorb culture and physical beauty. Neither place disappointed.

The summit at Christ the Redeemer (or, Redentor, in Brazil) with amazing views of Rio

Lapa/ Santa Teresa district of Rio

Rio also has some of the BEST street art in the world

The world famous Selaron stairs in Rio

Copacabana and Leme beaches, also in Rio

Devil's Throat at Iguaçu Falls- Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. It's the widest in the world

Pelhourino district in Salvador de Bahia, renowned for being the home of caipoeira, for hosting the largest Carnival in Brazil and for the rich, Afro Brazilian culture

Y'all: I took over five hundred photos here; the mini clip does the trip and the locale zero justice. Seriously. This was truly the experience of a lifetime, and one of the best solo trips I've taken to date! I felt safe the entire time, and I got around just fine without being fluent in Portuguese. I do have stories for daaaays, though, about some of my run-ins and experiences- knowing the language definitely helps! All in all: Brazil is absolutely wonderful!